Need translation of my mother's Japanese scroll
May 24, 2010 2:19 PM   Subscribe

I have in my possession a scroll, approx 6 ft long, relating to my late mother's hobby of Bonkai (Japanese Tray Gardens). I shall be very grateful if the Japanese speaking MeFites can look at these pix on Flickr and give me a translation. "B. E. Wollen" is my mother's name, is it possible it is her own writing? Thanks in advance!
posted by lungtaworld to Writing & Language (10 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
It seems to be a certificate of your mother's studies. I might be able to give you more detail when I get home from work and have my reference works.
posted by Jeanne at 2:41 PM on May 24, 2010


Sorry, I'm not advanced enough to be able to decipher the combination of brush-drawn kanji and unfamiliar bonkei terminology.
posted by Jeanne at 4:18 PM on May 24, 2010


Best answer: The certificate declares her a recognized teacher of the 光月 (Kogetsu? "Shining moon") school of bonkai. It also either grants or recognizes her professional name as a bonkai teacher, 景水 (Keisui? "Landscape + water", although likely heavily influenced by her teacher's professional name). So, your mom didn't write it, but she did earn it.
posted by No-sword at 4:40 PM on May 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh, er, and as Jeanne gently points out, it should be "bonkei" not "bonkai". That might help if you're googling stuff.
posted by No-sword at 4:57 PM on May 24, 2010


Yes, the above posters are right, and this is really fascinating! The date on the scroll is "November 1935 (Showa 10)."
posted by misozaki at 5:35 PM on May 24, 2010


I second No-sword's interpretation.

You might want to have a professional examine it for a more precise translation / explanation of the terms used.
posted by armage at 6:45 PM on May 24, 2010


Response by poster: Very many thanks to all of you for your answers. I was four years old in 1935 and can remember her working with her teacher. There was a small multi-drawered wooden cabinet full of the tools, tweezers, sifters, colored sands etc. that they used, but this has since disappeared.

We left Japan and returned to England in 1936 as my parents could see a war was coming.

I shall pass this information on to my children and grandchildren. I still have a love of Japan to this day. Please memail me if you would like more information.
posted by lungtaworld at 3:38 AM on May 25, 2010


Best answer: By the way (and sorry if you already know this) the writing in the photos you've linked is vertical, to be read top-to-bottom, so they would be rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Except for "Bonkei 4", which is the right way. The line with your mother's name in roman script should point downwards.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 4:11 AM on May 25, 2010


Best answer: Wow, that really is fascinating... I was going to ask if your mother spent time in Japan, or if she received her certificate elsewhere.

Considering the direction Japan headed in the following years after your parents left, I find it heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time when I picture your mother, who must have spent many hours learning bonkei from her Japanese teacher, who was open-minded enough to teach and award a teaching certificate to a foreign woman during a time when their countries were on the verge of war. And little you, playing nearby during her lessons!

I'm glad you have fond memories of Japan.
posted by misozaki at 5:45 AM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Now rotated (I should have known better!).
posted by lungtaworld at 5:47 AM on May 25, 2010


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